Injection molding has been in use for decades, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t grown as an industry with evolving technology. There are many small innovations that have made a large impact to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs, and we have selected five noteworthy innovations that have made a significant impact to date. These five innovations will continue to evolve and shape the future of injection molding for years to come.Get more news about Innovative Mold And Design,you can vist our website!
THE EMERGENCE OF 3D PRINTING If we go back 10 years into the past, 3D printing was pretty expensive. The printers were large, they cost a small fortune, and the materials they could use was limited. Over the last decade, the machines have gotten smaller and smaller, the cost per machine has come down significantly, and the materials that can be printed have expanded to a large variety. You can now find desktop units able to print carbon-fiber infused resin filaments. With the rise in popularity, 3D printing has become a simple option to produce prototypes for design reviews and tradeshows, plus a low-cost option for small manufacturing. If you can dream it, 3D printing can probably create it. Tooling, part creation, and manufacturing samples are just the tip of the iceberg.
AUTOMATION EXPANSION In recent years automation has become an expanded frontier that has moved beyond stationary capabilities. When robots are mentioned with injection molding, most would probably envision a stationary robotic arm removing fresh molded products from an open injection mold. Automation can easily complete that function, but in recent years it has expanded from stationary functions and moved into supply chain. Automation is now being used to move raw products within facilities, added to assembly lines completing repetitive motions, and being used side-by-side with human workers to increase efficiency.
MICRO INJECTION MOLDING Injection molding has been used to make larger and larger components in recent years. Think of big screen TVs, automotive panels, and large-scale equipment. While injection molding is getting larger, it’s also gone in the opposite direction. Micro injection molding is being used to create smaller and smaller products. As smart devices have decreased in size, they have required smaller components at an economical price. The medical industry is also utilizing micro injection molding to create smaller surgical tools and medical devices, and the military is using smaller components with technological advances. Quality control over these small components has been kept very high with specialized inspection methods, and it looks to be a promising trend in the future.
REMOTE CONTROL AND MONITORING If the last two years has shown us anything, it’s that we can do a lot from a remote location. Injection molding can be monitored and adjusted from a great distance using applications and connected technologies. New smart device applications are being used to monitor multiple injection molded machines at once, can track trends for molding operations, and produce reporting to keep everyone connected and informed.
AUTOMATED QUALITY INSPECTION AND PREDICTION Quality is a term that is used frequently, but in general the inspection function to quantify quality is done after the product or component is produced. Software and applications are now being utilized to predict and monitor quality metrics with quantifiable data. These applications are being incorporated into daily operations to reduce the human involvement in manufacturing and allowing employees to make higher-levels decisions instead of tracking repetitive operations through the day. Advanced vision systems are being incorporated to take dimensional data and judge color harmony, which can reduce errors and reduce the cost associated with poor quality.
